Unilateral actions taken in the waters off the mouth of the Tonkin Gulf should be avoided as the delineation of the area is being negotiated by Vietnam and China, said Deputy Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang.

Deputy Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang.

She made the statement in reply to reporters’ queries on Vietnam’s reaction to China sending its oil drilling rig Haiyang Shiyou 943 to operate in the waters off the Tonkin Gulf at the Foreign Ministry’s regular press conference in Hanoi on March 31.

According to China’s announcement, the area where the rig Haiyang Shiyou 943 is operating belongs to the waters off the mouth of the Tokin Gulf, whose delineation is under negotiation between Vietnam and China, Hang said.

Parties concerned should, therefore, undertake no unilateral activities that complicate the situation and have detrimental effects on the negotiation and delineation in the area, the diplomat stressed.

“Vietnam reserves its rights to and legal interests in this area as in conformity with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 and related international practicalities,” Hang said.

VNA